Lymphoma Patients Sought For Customized Therapy Trial.(Brief Article)

2001 NOV 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who have received no prior therapy are being recruited by 22 of the top cancer research sites across the United States and Canada. These sites are conducting a Phase III clinical trial to assess idiotype immunotherapy, which is often thought of as a cancer vaccine.

The therapy includes a custom-made protein derived from each patient's tumor cells and is being studied for its potential efficacy in delaying the growth and spread of tumors.

"Genitope's patient-specific therapy, which employs the patient's own immune system to attack their cancer, is an exciting new development in the fight against non-Hodgkin lymphoma," said Julie Vose, MD, professor of medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center and one of the study's principal investigators. "Studies using this approach have been very encouraging; the data suggests that these idiotype immunotherapies may safely and effectively delay the growth and spread of non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumors."

For the Genitope trial, 360 patients will be eligible to undergo immunization. Patients will receive a standard chemotherapy regimen and then be randomized. Approximately 240 patients will receive their custom-made idiotype immunotherapy and 120 patients will receive a nonspecific vaccine-like therapy. All patients are expected to complete immunization by the end of 2003.

Scientists at Genitope Corporation, Redwood City, California, produce each patient's tumor-derived protein using their patented High Throughput Gene Expression Technology (Hi-GET). The tumor-derived protein actively recruits the patient's immune cells to attack the tumor. This tumor-specific treatment should leave normal cells unharmed.

"Our novel platform technology allows us to rapidly generate custom-made proteins to combat tumors. This technology will permit, for the first time, wide-spread access to this innovative therapy," said Dan Denney, PhD, Genitope Corporation. "Based on the strength of our Phase II ...